Helicopter crashes into roof of luxury hotel in northeast Australia

Cairns, Australia - A helicopter has crashed into the roof of a Hilton Hotel in northeastern Australia, leaving the pilot dead and two hotel guests hospitalized after the explosion.

Queensland Police have quickly responded to a helicopter that crashed into a Cairns hotel.
Queensland Police have quickly responded to a helicopter that crashed into a Cairns hotel.  © Collage: X/@QldPolice & Screenshot/Facebook/@David.plus.Vero.Knight

Police have confirmed that the helicopter's pilot died in the crash, but forensics have yet to identify him. It is unknown what the cause of the crash was, but it is believed that the helicopter was privately owned.

A man in his 80s and a woman in her 70s have been sent to Cairns hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and shock after the helicopter crashed just above their room, shattering windows and igniting a fire on the roof.

When the helicopter crashed, it sent mangled pieces flying. Part of the propeller landed in the hotel's pool and another landed on a nearby road, about 110 yards away, where it was captured in a video taken by a witness.

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Luckily, no one was harmed by the debris which fell onto the ground around the hotel when it crashed.

More than 400 people have since been evacuated from the hotel, which suffered heavy fire damage and has been declared an "exclusion zone" by police. It is unclear when guests will be able to return to get their belongings.

"I woke up from this loud crash, sounding like a bomb or something, honestly," one witness and guest at the hotel told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC News).

"Then suddenly all the alarms are going off, and we thought it was a fire or something at first. We all evacuated, police were yelling 'get out, get out, get out' and then we saw all the flames rising up the side of the building."

Police investigate possible "unauthorized flight"

In a statement to the press, Queensland Police acting assistant commissioner Shane Holmes announced that the pilot had been declared dead at the scene and that forensics were working to identify the individual.

Holmes stressed that there was no further threat to the community and that the police believe it to be an isolated incident and likely an accident.

But Holmes confirmed that "it was an unauthorized flight," though he was unwilling to comment in too much detail before a more thorough investigation has been conducted.

"The aircraft was moved from a general aviation hangar early this morning, and it was an unauthorized flight," Holmes said. "We, again, are working with local aviation operators to determine the circumstances leading up to before the aircraft went into the air."

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has dispatched investigators to examine the site.

Cover photo: Collage: X/@QldPolice & Screenshot/Facebook/@David.plus.Vero.Knight

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